PCBs Found in Natural Gas Pipeline

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organic chemicals that were mainly used in the manufacture of hydraulic fluids and as cooling agents in electrical transformers and capacitators. Exposure to PCBs, mainly through contact or ingestion, has been linked to skin and liver damage, and cancer.

In January 1981, PCBs were found in New York gas lines. This contamination was most likely because select spots of pipes were covered in lubricating oil that contained PCBs. This New York Times article from Jan 21, 1981, describes the discovery.

Our archives contain Monsanto's response to the fiasco. The document is Monsanto's "position statement," only to be used "in responding to direct media inquiries."

The first question is basic, asking about Monsanto's knowledge about the contamination.

However, Monsanto completely evades the question. They do not seem to know anything about the PCBs in the pipes, or at least they do not reveal anything. They also avoid mentioning the source of the chemicals.

Here, they give out information in bits and pieces. They do not connect the dots that most probably, the "fire-resistant lubricant" they made before 1971 is Turbinol 153, which the EPA indicates is the source of the contamination. Monsanto used evasion and confusion frequently to distance themselves from the effects of their industrial chemicals.